But here’s the cool news: There’s a fantastic web site called that is the ultimate resource for listening to the “best” versions of Grateful Dead songs. For the main picks, we’ve listed where they can be found on Grateful Dead–sanctioned releases (where applicable), most of which can be accessed through Apple Music and Spotify. Such are the cruel realities of list-making.Ī couple of final notes: The songs are listed in chronological order by performance date. Of course there are, and so it is with nearly any tune you’d care to mention that is not here. So why not have “Sugar Magnolia” here? Or “Deal”? Or “Touch of Gray”? Surely there are multiple versions of each that fit those categories. After all, hardcore Deadheads would argue that 50 versions of “Dark Star”-each different as can be-could be a list in itself.Īnd the fact is, this does go beyond 50: As you’ll see, for a number of tunes, there are second and third picks based on eras-songs such as “Dark Star,” “Playing in the Band,” “The Other One” and a few others changed radically from one period to the next (influenced by the change in keyboardists and other factors), so versions from each epoch get a nod.Īs for the criteria for the choice of songs-most are ones that, over time, were most variable night to night either because of the jamming in them or the intensity of the vocal delivery, or some other elevating force. The difficulty, of course, is narrowing it down to just 50. Fortunately, the Dead had the largest archive of live tapes of any band ever, so there is much to draw from. Everyone, including band members, will tell you that studio albums never quite captured the Dead’s mystical X-factor. Why live performances? Because that’s where the magic happened with this band. What follows is a selection of the best live versions of 50 songs by the Grateful Dead (and a few cover tunes) spanning their history. Along the way they built the most loyal fan base the music world had ever seen They brought it all together in a unique mélange that took them from the fire-breathing psychedelia of the late Sixties, to the Dead Americana of Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty, and far beyond. Their styles couldn’t be more different, but they were completely sympathetic players, tightly enmeshed and equally in sync with bassist Lesh (another utterly unconventional player) and the drummers.
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